Six Years of Mohawks, Sass, and Wizardry Comes to an End

When Brad Richards departed for New York, there was nothing sudden about it. B-Rad leaving was as inevitable as Lindsay Lohan messing things up for herself…again. I knew it, you knew it, your neighbor who doesn’t even watch hockey knew it. We all knew it. That’s why it was so easy to deal with. Well, as easy to deal with as those sorts of things can be. I accepted it, albeit bitterly.

Even though there’d been trade rumblings for ages, I never saw the Mike Ribeiro trade coming. And as a Ribs fan, ouch. It hurts. I understand why the trade was made, and I like it. But that’s not enough to rid myself of the sadness that comes when a player I very much enjoyed having around is traded.

This post is kind of a eulogy, even though I hate to call it that. Ribs didn’t die; he was merely traded. Though in the hockey world, they might as well be the same thing. Analysis will come from everywhere as we prepare to assess our Stars team for free agency and the coming season, but I’m not going to dwell on how spectacular Cody Eakin will or won’t be.

No, right now I just want to take time to remember a guy who’s been an important Stars player and a hell of a great character.

Before Mike Ribeiro was the crafty, mohawk-sporting BAMF we know and love, he was most well-known for this particular incident:

Everybody still hates him for that. But dayum he’s sassy, and I’ve always loved that about him.

One of the very best things about Mike Ribeiro is the trade that brought him to Dallas: the Habs sent Ribs and a 6th round draft pick to Dallas in exchange for Janne Niinimaa and a 5th rounder. It’s still a hysterical trade to think about, since Janne Niinimaa equates to a bag of (slightly worn) pucks.

He and Brenden Morrow became magic twins, igniting incredible chemistry that was especially prevalent in the magical 2007-08 season that saw Morrow score career highs. Their magnificient chemistry was center stage in the miracle playoff run. And Mike Ribeiro never looked back, becoming a key member of the Stars for years to come.

His skills never ceased to amaze me, whether it was crazy shootout moves or just a juicy assist. Plain and simple, he was just a lot of fun to watch.

Mike Ribeiro was not flawless; his hair, perhaps, is. But for everything amazing about him, there was always something that managed to piss everyone off. He overstayed his shifts, couldn’t produce when he needed to, got too creative with the puck and coughed it up, etc.

But no matter what was happening, Ribs was forever sassy. And I loved him for it. Whether it was silencing Kings fans or trolling Montreal, Mike Ribeiro kept things entertaining. Which is precisely why I’m pumped he’s going to Washington. He and Alex Ovechkin are my dream team of sassiness.